Eternal Faith - Book 4 (The Ruby Ring Saga) (6 page)

V
ictor
and I went to visit my elderly aunt. She insisted we bring swimsuits, because
she had an indoor pool in her huge home. I was three months along, definitely
starting to show.

After
we talked for a while, she escorted us down to the pool area.

“It
must be fabulous to have a pool year round,” I said. I set my towel down on the
table and revealed all my big, glorious curves to the world in a one-piece,
black maternity bathing suit.

When
Victor took off his shirt, even my ninety-year-old aunt whistled. “He’s a
hottie, Sarah,” she said, “A real keeper.”

I
smiled.

She
pushed up her glasses. “I swim every day. A woman my age has to stay in shape.”

“You
look fantastic,” I said.

“Not
a day over sixty!” She laughed. “And you look fantastic yourself, young lady.”

“Pssh!
With this bulging belly?” I giggled.

“I
think pregnant bellies are beautiful, and you’re absolutely glowing.”

“Well,
thanks.”

“It’s
a delight to have you here, dear. You two have fun now. I’m going to go make
lunch.” With that, she turned and left, with her small dog trailing behind her.

I
stared at each and every hard, well-defined muscle bulging from Victor’s arms
and chest. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, and I had fallen into complete,
deep lust with my beautiful husband.

He
stared back at me and didn’t seem to mind my baby bump at all. When he looked
at me like that, so lovingly and longingly, I felt special, loved, and maybe
even sexy. “You look hot,” he said as he let his gaze travel down my body, then
back up again, resting on my lips.

“Hot?
I love that you’re learning some slang, Victor.”

His
blue eyes glittered. “I can’t take my eyes off you.”

“I
know, I know. It’s the boobs.”

He
smiled coyly.

“I
knew it,” I said.

Victor
started pulling at the red swimming trunks my mom had bought him.

“What’s
wrong?” I asked.

“I
don’t like this swimwear,” he said.

“You
could’ve just worn the tiny Speedo swimsuit my sister bought you.”

He
laughed. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Why
not?” I squeezed his butt and winked. “I bet you’d look so sexy in one.”

He
shot me a gleaming smile. “Do men here really wear so little fabric in the
presence of ladies? So clingy and tight, practically revealing all?” Victor had
a hard time accepting modern men’s fashion, even though it was so much more
attractive than the medieval style he’d been wearing for hundreds of years. I
knew he hated the clothing I wanted him to wear. I wanted him to be happy, but
I couldn’t have him sticking out like a sore thumb in his clothing of choice.

I
grinned. “I know you thought Liz was just pulling your leg, but yes, they
really do.”

“Well,
this man refuses.”

I
playfully poked him in the side. “Of course,” I mocked. “A king wouldn’t be
caught dead wearing something so ridiculous.”

Victor
let out a low, deep laugh. “Are you making fun of me?”

When
he met my gaze, I couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, maybe a little, but what are
you
gonna do about it?”

I
laughed, and he chased me into the heated pool. It was so relaxing to let go,
to be carefree for a little while as the water washed over me, soothing my body
from head to toe. I playfully flicked some water at him, and my gaze drifted to
the water droplets cascading down his chiseled chest. I knew I was the luckiest
woman in the world to have such a hot, confident man staring at me like I was
his most treasured possession. I snuggled up to Victor as he held me close in
his strong arms, and if only for that moment, life was beautiful.

He
smiled victoriously. “It seems I did catch you after all, milady.”

I
couldn’t stop grinning. “Fine. In that case, I’m yours for all eternity.”

“I
love spending these moments alone with you,” he said, kissing my lips.

The
spark in his kiss jolted me, reminding me of our amazing chemistry. I’d
recognized it right from the very start, from the very second I had laid eyes
on him in the forest. We didn’t need the so-called bond of the ruby ring, the
one his ancestors swore by. Ethano had broken the connection, yet I still
couldn’t get enough of my husband.

“Yes,
time alone with you is priceless, and I’m gonna milk it for all it’s worth,” I
said. “I’m beginning to feel like a prisoner, all locked up in my parents’
house.” I ran a hand through his dark, shaggy hair.

He
shot me a half-smile. “If that is how you feel, it’s about time we got you out,”
he said.

I
grinned, completely mesmerized by his beaming smile. “I’m loving every single
minute of this, Victor.” My arms hooked around his neck, and my legs wrapped
around his waist. We goofed off some more, and I even managed to dunk him a
couple times. We kissed some more, and I taught him how to swim laps. We had
the very best time, and I couldn’t have asked for a more terrific afternoon.

I
stared into his eyes. “I’ve been thinking.”

Clearly,
that piqued his interest; then again, he always seemed to take an interest in
everything I had to say. “Yes?”

“Part
of me hopes you’ll love my world so much that you won’t wanna go back.”

“It
is a beautiful place.”

My
heart pounded as our eyes connected and silence filled the air. His grim
expression gave everything away.

“But
it’s not home for you,” I said sadly.

He
sucked in a breath, obviously troubled. “No, my love, it isn’t.”

My
jaw dropped as I processed his words. I looked away, saddened by the reality
that he couldn’t or wouldn’t stay in my world forever—that it would never be
home to him. “That really hurts,” I said. I closed my eyes and took a deep,
steadying breath, trying to clear my mind.

“I’m
not going to give you false hope. I was born to rule a kingdom. You can’t ask
me to give that up when it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

I
touched his face. “Of course not. I want you to be happy.”

“But
I want you to be happy also.”

“I
love Tastia, and I love being a queen in your kingdom.” I smiled. “Being there
with you was...well, like living in a storybook. It’s just that your world is so
different from mine, and—”

“Are
you saying you don’t ever want to return to the kingdom’s that’s waiting for
us?”

“I’m
saying I-I’m torn.”

“Torn?
How could you want to possibly stay here? Hiding our powers is exhausting. Back
in my world, we’re allowed to be who we are, Immortals. There’s no fear of repercussions
or retaliation or a government trying to hunt us down to study us like animals.”

“Instead,
we’ll be hunted down by your archrival, Ethano.”

“Sarah,
I am not going to argue with you about this further.”

“I
don’t want to fight either, but we need to discuss this.”

“We
have years to figure it all out.”

“I
know, but I’m the kind of person who needs to plan ahead. I need to know where
I’m heading, what my future holds.”

“I
never considered that we might have disagreements about which world to live
in.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “I only know I love you. Isn’t that
the most important thing of all?”

“I
knew this was coming. That is exactly why I was willing to leave you and come
back here with my friends through the portal. I knew how much you wanted me to
stay, and it tore my heart in two to have to leave you. I loved you from the
second I met you, and I wondered if love was enough to conquer such barriers.
Now I’m worried that it may not be.”

“But
then you decided to stay.”

“Because
I couldn’t live without you, and I still can’t. You’re my world, Victor. I would
have stayed in Tastia forever if that was what it would have taken to be yours,
but then things got complicated, and we came back here. Coming back here has
stirred up so many feelings, so many memories for me, and I have to live here
knowing that the clock is ticking. It’s like some cruel prank. I’ll get to stay
for eighteen years, then have to leave. I was so homesick in Tastia, and that
was after being gone for only a year.”

“I
know how you must have felt, for I miss my world already.”

“I
guess a long-distance relationship isn’t going to work.”

“It
is forbidden to move in and out of the portal every weekend.”

I
laughed. “So this is what happens when two worlds collide. Will we make it?”

He
cupped my face and stared deeply into my eyes. “If we love each other enough, Sarah,
anything is possible.”

“I
don’t want to change you, Victor, but you obviously don’t fit in here.”

“I
don’t, for this is not my home.”

“So
what will you do if I decide to stay here?” I asked.

His
gaze narrowed. “I beg you not to make me choose.”

“Answer
me, Victor. Given the choice between me and Tastia, would you choose to stay
with me or go home?”

He
blinked as he contemplated his answer. “I won’t leave without you, but rest
assured that I would be forever miserable, never able to get over the loss of
my great kingdom.”

“I
couldn’t bear to see you in that kind of pain, especially because of me.”

“But
you’ll be in the same kind of pain if I drag you off to live in my world.”

“I
would miss the modern conveniences of my world, my time. I know that might sound
shallow, but I can’t help it. How can I go from all this to living in the Stone
Age?”

“You
did it for a year, and while you were homesick sometimes, for the most part, we
were very happy.”

I
swirled my hands around in the water. “We were. I’ve been thinking a lot about
all this, and I’ve finally come to realize that you have more to lose than I
do. You’re royalty. You own a castle and rule a kingdom of so many people who love
and adore you. You were born to be a king, and it’d be selfish for me to take
all that away from you.”

He
kissed my hand. “We need to live in harmony and work toward some shared goals. I
think we would benefit more from my world. Think of living free, without fear
of repercussion for being who you are destined to be.”

“If
we were exposed here, it would be very dangerous,” I said. As soon as the words
left my lips, I realized that I couldn’t possibly let Victor go back to Tastia
without me. Leaving him was not an option; he was like the air I breathed, and
I would follow him anywhere. In the meantime, for a few short years, I would
enjoy my real home and the people in it.

A
serious expression washed across his face. “We will conquer Ethano. Do not
worry about that.”

I
bit my lip. I wanted to believe him. We would have to destroy Ethano if we were
ever to have any peace or safety living in Tastia. It would have been useless
to go back right away and try to conquer the tyrant; the vision had warned us
that we didn’t have a chance. For the time being, our best option was to let
our son grow up and then go back for battle.

“But...what
if we don’t? What if we can’t defeat him?”

“You
needn’t worry about that, My Queen. I will conquer Ethano and put an end to his
reign, and then we shall establish order and peace and make our world a better
place to live in.”

Victor
spoke with such confidence that I almost believed him, but the doubts nagging
at the back of my mind wouldn’t shut up for long. “You sound so
confident.”

“That
is only because I am,” he stated victoriously, true to his name.

I
reflected on his words. “If we could get the blue-ringed Immortals on our side
somehow while we’re here, they could drain him of his powers in a heartbeat.”

Droplets
of water fell from his hair. “Hmm. That is not a bad idea, my love. Perhaps we
could establish trust and an allegiance with them.”

I
looked at him skeptically. “That’s not going to be so easy, considering that
most of them are trying to kill us.”

“We
have to be extremely careful about letting them into our world. They are
extremely dangerous. They are capable of draining our powers, and there is no
guarantee that they are not powerful enough to overtake us. I will not live under
anyone’s authority.”

“We’ll
study them for a while and see if the opportunity presents itself. I know it
could be dangerous to let them into our world, but what about Dr. Meyers? She
doesn’t even have to fight. Her presence alone is enough to short-circuit their
power.”

“And
ours too.”

I
inclined my head. “Maybe, but at least it would put you on an even playing
field.”

Victor
sighed. “No more talk about our future or Ethano,” he said, his eyes burning
into mine. He softly kissed my lips and brushed my wet hair off my shoulders. “I
just want to get lost in those big, brown, beautiful eyes of my wife, my
beautiful queen.  

His
warm breath against my ear was intoxicating. I smoothed my hands against the
thick muscles in his arms and chest. A wet lock of hair fell across his eyes,
and I gently brushed it back. He pressed his mouth on my lips and swirled his
tongue around mine in a slow, sweet, passionate gesture that he knew I loved. My
heart raced as he pulled me closer. His touch was amazing, and it electrified
me. My body was growing hotter by the second.

I
broke from his embrace, still gasping from the mind-blowing kiss. “Let’s not
get carried away in my aunt’s pool, Victor.”

“But
surely we’ll finish this tonight, a, uh...rain-check as you say?” he purred in my
ear.

I
smirked, my cheeks burning. “You can count on it.”

He
smiled, gazing into my eyes. “I love you so much.”

“I
love you too.”

I
was reading a pregnancy book my mom had bought for me. When I got to the chapter
on “Labor and Delivery” chapter, I gasped. I couldn’t imagine going through all
that pain, and my mind went wild with every worst-case scenario that could
possibly happen. As much as I’d been through in my life, I still harbored a
deep fear of the unknown.

My
mom glanced up at me. “What is it, honey?”

I
blew out a long breath. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“It
isn’t like you have a choice,” Dad said with a snort, looking up from his
newspaper. “And don’t listen to Liz with all her labor pain horror stories.”

My
mom sat next to me on the couch and patted my hand. “Giving birth isn’t easy,
dear, but you can do it. Don’t worry, sweetie. Your body was made to this. I
promise it won’t break you. Women have been having babies all throughout
history.”

“But
I have such a low pain threshold, and—”

“Pssh!
Once you’re in full-blown labor, all those endorphins will kick into high gear,
and you’ll be just fine.”

I
glanced down at the book again. When I read that I might lose control of my
bowels right in front of everyone, I was mortified. The thought of Victor, the
doctor, and the nurses seeing that was humiliating. I slammed the book shut in
complete and utter disbelief. “Where’s Liz with our takeout?” I asked, trying
to change the subject. Not to mention, I was starving.

“She
should’ve been back by now. Then again, she’s been fighting with Charles, so
maybe she needed some time to cool down. You know your sister.”

I
dialed her on my cell, but she didn’t pick up. “Something seems odd here. I’m
gonna go check on her.”

“Honey,
there’s no need to drive up there. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“I
need some fresh air after all that reading. I’m a nervous wreck. I just need to
get out, so the drive will do me good.”

“Okay,
but make sure they give you breadsticks. They forgot them last time.”

I
smiled. “Breadsticks. Got it.”

The
wind whipped across my hair as I walked down the sidewalk to my mom’s car. A
twig snapped through the trees, and I glanced in that direction. Victor broke
through the vegetation carrying a long, heavy log over his head, presumably
strength training and oozing sex appeal.

I
let out a long whistle. “Hey!” I shouted over to him. “You stick out like a sore
thumb.” I giggled.

“What?”
he asked. “No, my thumb is fine, my love.”

I
rolled my eyes and tried to remind myself to stop with the modern-day idioms
and phrases. “Uh, never mind. It’s just that we don’t usually work out that
way. Why don’t you use my dad’s weights in the workout room?”

He
shrugged. “I don’t like them.”

“Well,
it’s way too cold to jog,” I said, “and it’s starting to get dark.”

“I
have to keep my strength up,” he said, gasping between breaths as he threw the
log down. “Back in Tastia, I had a very intense training regimen, and I must
maintain it.”

“I
remember you pitting your strength against your knights in wrestling, rope-pulling,
rock-throwing and all those other manly games.”

“Would
you care to joust with me? You may use any handheld weapon of your choice,” he
asked.

“It’s
very tempting, but, uh...”

He
laughed, knowing very well that it wasn’t my kind of thing.

I
couldn’t help but smirk. “Listen, babe, running around the neighborhood with a
log over your head is bound to draw attention. We’re supposed to remain
inconspicuous, remember?”

“Would
you rather have me run with a heavy sword and in fifty pounds of chain armor.”

“Goodness
no! That would draw too much attention to us.”

He
smiled, knowing he’d made his point.

“Use
the log,” I said. “If anybody asks, tell them you’re training for a boxing
match.”

He
kissed my cheek. “Where are you headed, love?”

“Liz
went to get dinner and hasn’t come back. She won’t answer her cell phone
either. I was just going to go check on her.”

His
eyes widened. “I’ll go with you.”

“I’m
sure it’s not the blue-ringed Immortals. She got in a fight with Charles, and I’m
sure she’s just taking some time to herself to cool off.”

He
started to head to the car. “I’m coming with you anyway.”

I
playfully grabbed his sweaty shirt from behind. “You’re not getting in my car
smelling like that, mister. You need a shower.”

He
took one whiff of himself and laughed. “I do smell quite like a pigsty, don’t
I? I’ll clean myself up and see you when you get back.”

“Okay.
Sounds like a plan.”

“Do
be careful, My Queen.” And with that, he gave me one last kiss and rushed into
the house.

Thanks
to my Immortal-charged ears, I could hear rock music blasting through the walls
before I even stepped through the door of the grill. I walked in to pick up our
food and look for Liz, but even though I could hear her over the crowd and
through the laughter, I didn’t see her anywhere. I hurried down the hall and
into the poolroom, where I found my sister, dressed in a low-cut red sweater
and tight black pants. Several men were gathered around her, drooling like
hungry dogs over a juicy steak.

Liz
picked up the $500 bill and slammed it on the table. “Okay, boys, this is my
last shot. If I make it, I win everything.”

“She’ll
never do it,” a thin man whispered in a fatter man’s ear.

“Not
in a million years,” another said with a laugh, then sipped his cocktail.

“Oh
yeah?” Liz questioned, finishing her drink and slamming it down on the table. “Just
watch me.”

She angled the pool cue in her hands and leaned
forward. She closed one eye as she leaned forward and focused. My sister had
always been the dramatic one, and she was really playing it up. She pulled the
pool stick back and hit the cue ball hard.

I couldn’t let her make the shot and win; we couldn’t
bring any attention to us whatsoever. As the white ball was getting ready to
connect with the last remaining ball, I focused my energy. I could feel the
familiar tingles, but that was all. My powers were off balance and didn’t seem
to be working properly. I threw my hand back to create a huge gust of wind, but
all I managed was a slight draft. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it sure did the
trick. The ball rolled left, off course, and barely missed the last remaining
ball.

“Good
game,” I heard a few men say.

Liz
let out a few curses as the men laughed and gave each other high-fives. Glaring,
she turned and met my gaze. “Sarah!”

A
tall man nudged Liz. “Who’s this?”

“That
would be my annoying, troublemaker, holier-than-thou sister.”

I
shook my head. “Let’s go home.”

“You
just ruined everything!” she roared.

My
gaze connected with hers. “You’re really something, you know that? You’re
supposed to be picking up our food, not gambling, and especially not using your
special talents.”

“My
powers!”

“I
was trying to be discreet,” I said in a heavy whisper.

A
man chuckled. “Uh, her ‘special talents’ had no effect on me. She thought she
could distract me with that gorgeous body, but it didn’t work.”

“Her
powers of persuasion didn’t work whatsoever,” another man said.

“You
know how much money you just lost me?” she said.

Her
breath reeked of alcohol. “You’re drunk,” I said, fanning my hand in front of
my face.

“Yeah?
And what’s it to you?” she slurred. “I’m grown, and I can drink if I want to.
I’m not the one who’s knocked up.”

“You’ve
got a husband waiting for you at home, not to mention a starving family, yet
here you are flirting with all these men.”

“I’m
not flirting. I’m just trying to win a game of pool.”

I
placed my hands on my hips. “It sure looked like flirting to me.”

“And
don’t talk to me about my husband. I don’t want to think about him right now,” she
said sadly.

“Whatever
he did,
this
is how you pay him back? Hustling a bunch of guys while
you’re dressed in
that
?” I retorted.

“It
wasn’t intentional. The guys started talking to me and asked if I wanted to bet
on a game of pool. They thought they were gonna kick my ass after buying me a
few drinks.”

I
cocked a brow. “A few?”

She
threw her arms up in the air. “Fine! A lot, all right? It was a hell of a fight
with good ol’ Charlie.”

“I’ve
never known you two to have an argument, at least not that serious.”

“Well,
surprise, surprise, sis. I’m not perfect. I have issues.” Her voice grew louder
as she cried out, “I guess that’s what happens when a girl is snatched away
from her normal life and turned into some kind of super freak!”

Eyes
wide, a man turned and looked her up and down. “Hmm. A super freak, huh?”

“She’s
just wasted. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” I said, casting him a
disgusted look. I grabbed Liz’s arm.

She
pushed me away and began half-walking, half-stumbling, swaying from side to
side. “Gotta get Mom some food. Can’t forget the breadsticks!”

“Forget
the food,” I said.

“I’m
hungry!” she shouted.

I
rolled my eyes. “Just calm down and stop creating a scene, and I’ll get the
food.”

“Aw!
Sarah, you’re such a good sister,” she said, sliding down the wall and sitting
on the floor.

“Just
wait there,” I said.

“Okie
dokie.”

I
waited in line, got the food, pulled Liz along, and hurried to the car.

“Hey,
honey. Great game. You almost won.”

I
turned around and noticed a towering man walking toward us across the parking
lot. “Great. Now your fan club is stalking us.”

As
if he had a right to, he wrapped his arm around Liz. “Why are you leaving so soon?
I was hoping we could have another drink and—”

“Listen,
you’re a sweet guy and all, but I’m married.”

“That
don’t matter none. Hell, I don’t even mind if your sister joins us.”

She
flung his arm off of her. “Beat it!” When he grimaced in humiliation and raised
his hand to slap her, Liz grabbed his arm and starting squeezing.

He
winced in pain. “Let go!” he demanded, moaning in agony.

“Let
him go,” I ordered.  

Liz
loosened her grip, and the man fell back, crashing on the concrete pavement. I
could tell by his wide eyes and gaping jaw that her strength had stunned him.

“You’re
crazy!” he roared.

“You’re
making such a scene, and somebody’s gonna notice,” I said, pulling Liz away. “Beating
people up and using your powers to win a game of pool? What’s gotten into you?”

“For
your information, I didn’t beat that guy up. I just squeezed his wrist. And you
know what? I could use my powers in public back in Dornia. All this hiding and
keeping secrets is for the pigeons.”

“What?”

“I
can’t remember the saying, but it sucks, okay?”

I
started the car. “How did you get away with this kind of crap being a royal
princess? What did a man centuries old see in a child? You’re so not meant to
rule a kingdom if you’re gonna act like a teenager.”

“I
could say the same about you.”

Staring
straight ahead at the road, I huffed. “I’m far more mature than you are.”

She
laughed.

“What?”
I asked.

“
You
snagged an Immortal king, brought him to our world, and then thought he’d fall
in love with the place when he’s nothing more than a peasant. The culture clash
is huge,” she slurred. “You stripped him of his title and all his power. You
took away all he’s ever known and loved, and you wonder why he’s not happy. You’re
just a child who wants her way and pouts when she doesn’t get what she wants.”

“You
think you know it all, but for your information, I’ve agreed to return back to
Victor’s world in eighteen years.”

“How
very submissive of you.”

“I
figured you’d love to hear that.”

“I
do. I’m drunk, so bear with me.” She reached into the bag and grabbed some
fries.

“Liz!
Hands off the food.”

She
munched loudly on the French fries, ignoring me. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Oh
no.”

“Why
not have the best of both worlds?” she asked.

I
stopped at the red light. “What do you mean?”

“Why
not take some things from this world back to that one? Heck, we could make
supply runs every three months. We could even take some scientists or
electricians there, and they could do amazing things for that world.”

“Listen
to what you’re saying. We can’t expose that world to ours. For starters, it’d
bring the blue-ringed Immortals straight to our door.”

“Would
it kill the place to have some modern amenities? We could look for volunteers
and blindfold them somehow so they couldn’t see how to get back. We could make
it legal. Once we get our world back, we could petition the court for modern
conveniences.”

“They
don’t
want
modern anything, Liz.”

“How
do you know? If we took back some things to amaze them, I know they’d change
their minds. We could live the simple life in those castles, but we wouldn’t
have to live without all the cool things we love from this world. We’re queens,
sis. We should be entitled to the best of both worlds.”

I
pushed back a long strand of hair from my eyes and heaved a sigh. “I get it.
Castles need toilet paper and plastic milk jugs. But then they’d also need
landfills, so I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

“Peasants
there are using leaves, moss, corncobs, and who knows what else. They deserve a
little Charmin, don’t you think? I’d really love to introduce them to toilet
paper. Everybody in the world needs to know about toilet paper.”